Andrew Bynum says it’s ‘terrible’ DeMarcus Cousins has to play in Sacramento

“He’s a good player, definitely coming up,” the Lakers’ all-star center said according to The Sacramento Bee. “It’s terrible that he has to play in Sacramento. He could take his take his talents somewhere and really help a team.

“It’s not working out.”

When Bynum says it’s terrible Cousins has to play in Sacramento, it’s hard to know exactly what he means. Is he saying ripping on Sacramento as a losing organization and town that may lose its team? Or is he referring to Cousins’ past issues with the coaching staff?

The Kings second-year big man has been misunderstood during his time in Sac Town, what with his fighting with coaches and the team hiring a “babysitter” for him last season. This year, things came to a head when he was involved in a highly-publicized spat with head coach Paul Westphal. That situation ended with Westphal’s dismissal.

If he was only talking about DeMarcus’ situation, then Bynum is right: Cousins still shows plenty of promise. So far this season he’s improved his numbers from a year ago, averaging 16.4 points and 11.3 rebounds in 29 minutes. In Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge, Cousins posted 18 and 11 (but that probably didn’t matter after he was nutmegged by Ricky Rubio).

However, the Kings have yet to sustain any success with their young, promising roster. They’re 11-22 this season, and haven’t had more than 25 wins in a season in four years.

When coming up with a word for Cousins having to play for a hapless franchise, “terrible” absolutely fits. But perhaps so does “karmic.”